Stanford receiver Owusu among 17 signed by Niners

During his pre-draft visit with the 49ers at their local pro day, Stanford wide receiver Chris Owusu caught up with Jim Harbaugh and wasn’t surprised to learn his old coach was still speaking the same language.

“He’s the same guy,” Owusu said in an interview with The Chronicle before last week’s NFL draft. “He’s still all out there competing, that’s all he’s about. And that’s what I feel the San Francisco 49ers are all about.”

Given his background with Harbaugh, it’s not surprising Owusu headlined the list of 17 undrafted free agents the 49ers announced Friday as signed.

There are better spots than San Francisco for a wide receiver to earn a job – the Niners’ roster includes Michael Crabtree, Mario Manningham, first-round pick A.J. Jenkins, Randy Moss and Ted Ginn Jr. But Owusu knows better than most that Harbaugh is likely to base his training-camp evaluations on performance rather than status.

Owusu has the athletic ability to contend for a spot on the 53-man roster.

He posted better pre-draft numbers in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump and bench press than the four wide receivers taken in the first round (Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon, Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd, Baylor’s Kendall Floyd and Jenkins). But his college production doesn’t match the first-round quartet, and he went undrafted after sustaining three concussions in a 13-month span during the final two seasons of his Stanford career.

Prior to the draft, Owusu realized his medical history could force him to earn an NFL roster spot as an undrafted free agent.

“For me, the draft’s only the beginning,” Owusu said. “It’s not the end.”

The 49ers’ undrafted free-agent class includes two of Owusu’s Stanford teammates, defensive tackle Matt Masifilo and safety Michael Thomas. Cal kicker Giorgio Tavecchio also signed with the 49ers.

Another notable name is Southern Illinois running back Jewel Hampton, who rushed for 1,121 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior last year after transferring from Iowa. As a freshman with the Hawkeyes, Hampton set the school’s freshman record with seven touchdowns, but he missed all but two games in 2009 and ’10 with two ACL injuries.

Hampton and Owusu are the only members of the 49ers’ undrafted free-agent class who were invited to the NFL combine.